HEADLINES

Month: January 2023

Sean McVay To Remain With Rams

January 13th, 2023 at 10:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Rams are no longer awaiting word on Sean McVay‘s future. After rumblings he was going to leave after six seasons surfaced, McVay is shooting that talk down. He will come back.

McVay informed members of the Rams organization he plans to stay in place as the team’s head coach, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). The team gave McVay space to make his decision, and he took a few days. Despite the Rams’ 5-12 finish and a run of injuries gutting their depth chart this season, the Super Bowl-winning HC will attempt to pick up the pieces in 2023.

Rams COO Kevin Demoff said the team had a contingency plan, with the Los Angeles Times’ Gary Klein indicating defensive coordinator Raheem Morris and tight ends coach Thomas Brown almost certainly resided as McVay fallback options. Both coaches are up for other positions, but each could also return as top McVay lieutenants next season. McVay is considering staff changes, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo add (via Twitter).

Still the youngest head coach in the NFL, McVay has received extensive interest from networks for prime analyst roles. Even part-time work would have satisfied certain networks, giving McVay a lucrative out from his Rams post. The wunderkind coach confirmed he is interested in pursuing a TV career at some point. Amazon and Fox wooed him last year, but he turned each down and signed an extension that made him one of the league’s highest-paid coaches. It appears the 36-year-old leader will stay on that contract and attempt a Rams reload.

A Sunday report pointed to McVay being likelier to step away, though The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue indicated some among the Rams believed he would ultimately come back (Twitter link). The Rams sent out an ominous message earlier this week, letting their assistants know lateral moves to other teams, as McVay pondered his future, would not be blocked. While it does sound like staff changes are coming — one we know will happen is at the offensive coordinator post, after Liam Coen returned to Kentucky — several key Rams staffers will likely be back.

McVay’s arrival in Los Angeles turned the Rams from the league’s worst passing offense to the NFL’s top scoring team, resulting in a 2017 playoff berth and Coach of the Year honors. Proving to be one of the modern game’s premier offensive minds, McVay accomplished that feat at 31, led the Rams to the Super Bowl at 32 and won it at 35, putting himself on a trajectory to become one of the game’s all-time greats — should he choose to stick around long enough to bolster his resume. The Rams are 60-38 under McVay, but they did just complete the worst Super Bowl title defense in history.

Last year, the Rams extended Matthew Stafford, Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp. By December, none of those stars were available. The 2022 season flipped the Rams’ injury fortune, with offensive line setbacks also crushing the team. L.A. started four quarterbacks, including waiver claim Baker Mayfield. Stafford, 35 in February, said he has no plans to retire. The Rams prioritized a healthy Stafford offseason — after 2022’s featured nagging elbow trouble — and used Mayfield down the stretch. Donald, who joined Kupp as the drivers of the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI win last year, also made it clear McVay played a major role in his decision not to retire last year.

The Rams will face familiar problems in 2023: no first-round pick (they do have a second-rounder this year) and a cap-space figure projected to be near the bottom of the league. These issues have not deterred the McVay-Les Snead regime from continually fielding strong teams, but 2023 — when Kupp will join Donald and Stafford as over-30 standouts — may be more challenging.

McVay leaving the Rams could have brought an organization-altering change, considering the value he has presented the team over the past six years. Checking this box will be the most important, and the Rams can now move on to staff and roster matters as they attempt to assemble a fifth playoff team in the McVay era.

LB Sione Takitaki Wants To Re-Sign With Browns

January 13th, 2023 at 8:31pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Browns’ linebacking corps was ravaged by injuries this season, and the position is very much in flux heading into the offseason. One member of the unit who is eyeing a return is Sione Takitaki.

The 27-year-old is heading into free agency for the first time in his career, having spent his first four seasons in Cleveland. The former third-rounder primarily played on special teams as a rookie, but he took on a much larger role in 2020, starting 12 of 15 contests that season. He flashed potential that year with 67 tackles and one interception, but took a step back in playing time in 2021.

Takitaki was once again counted on as a key member of the Browns’ defense this season, however. He logged a career-high snap share of 65%, setting a new personal mark with 71 tackles along the way. He started eight of 12 games, and was poised to continue playing a significant role for the final month of the campaign until he suffered a torn ACL in December. That injury added further to Cleveland’s availability issues at the position, with Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Anthony Walker, Jacob Phillips and Jordan Kunaszyk each finishing the campaign on IR.

Takitaki’s recovery complicates his market, as he is on track to return to full health around October. While the injury no doubt hurt the value of his next contract, the BYU product is optimistic both that he can actually recover in time to be available for Week 1 and, partially as a result, land a new deal allowing him to remain in Cleveland for at least the short-term future.

“I feel like I have enough tape to end up landing on my feet eventually, so I’m not really worried,” he said, via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. “Obviously, [the injury] sucks… I could have definitely got hooked up in the next contract, but I’m excited. I still got a lot of tape, and I bring a lot to the table.”

The Browns are currently projected to be in worse financial shape than most other teams as free agency approaches, and a rebuild of the front seven would come as little surprise given the team’s defensive performance against the run in 2022. Cleveland’s decision with Takitaki and Walker, a fellow pending UFA, will thus be a situation worth watching, though the pair both made their feelings about the organization clear.

“Yeah, I’ve already voiced my opinion,” Takitaki said, echoing Walker’s sentiments. “I love Cleveland. I told them I want to be back, so we’ll see what the future holds.”

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/13/23

January 13th, 2023 at 7:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

Today’s minor moves, including elevations made for Saturday’s playoff games:

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Panthers Request HC Interviews With Jerod Mayo, DeMeco Ryans

January 13th, 2023 at 4:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

JANUARY 13: The Panthers will not, at least for now, be meeting with Ryans. Schefter’s colleague David Newton reports that (for logistical reasons) an interview between Carolina’s front office and the highly sought-after DC could not be scheduled (Twitter link). As a result, the Panthers’ list of candidates now essentially sits at nine, though, as Newton notes, a future interview is not out of the question.

JANUARY 12, 12:41pm: DeMeco Ryans is also on the Panthers’ radar, Joe Person of The Athletic tweets. This expands Carolina’s search to nine names, which blows away the volume from their 2020 interview process. Ryans’ inclusion is not surprising, given what San Francisco’s defense accomplished this season.

Ranking first in total defense, points allowed and DVOA, the 49ers have ridden Ryans’ unit to a 10-game win streak. In his second year as San Francisco’s DC, Ryans has been on Kyle Shanahan‘s staff throughout the latter’s time in the Bay Area. Long viewed as a future HC, Ryans, 38, has received multiple promotions with the 49ers. The former Texans and Eagles linebacker — who also received requests from the Broncos and Texans — has been ticketed for a 2023 HC job, and although there are fewer openings compared to 2022, Ryans may have multiple options. Candidates on teams playing this weekend must wait until midway through next week to interview for HC jobs.

JANUARY 12, 12:24pm: Panthers GM Scott Fitterer said the team was not planning an expansive HC search, but eight coaches are now part of this search. The Panthers added to the list by requesting a Jerod Mayo interview Thursday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

A former Patriots linebacker, Mayo has been on the HC radar for a bit now. He interviewed with the Broncos and Raiders last year, impressing in those settings. Mayo also interviewed for the Eagles job in 2021; he is the latest in a long line of Bill Belichick assistants to land on the HC carousel.

Mayo, 36, has been on Belichick’s staff since 2019. The former first-round pick currently serves as New England’s inside linebackers coach, but he has been a key defensive staffer for a bit now. Brian Flores following Matt Patricia out the door in 2019, after the latter’s 2018 Detroit hire, left the Pats thin on proven defensive staffers. Mayo has helped fill the void, as Patricia’s return has not been as a primary defensive staffer. He worked as the team’s main offensive play-caller this season, leaving Mayo and others as Belichick lieutenants on defense.

The Browns requested a defensive coordinator interview with Mayo as well, but this Panthers summons may take precedence. Four Belichick DCs or DC equivalents — Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, Patricia, Flores — have gone on to earn HC opportunities. While Mayo does not have the title that traditionally leads to HC chances, the Patriots showed this year coordinator titles matter little in their grand scheme. The Pats have not had an official DC since Patricia in 2017.

Only four coaches interviewed for the Panthers’ position in 2020, a search that ended with Matt Rhule’s seven-year contract. Mayo is only the second defensive staffer, joining interim HC Steve Wilks, to land on the radar in this Carolina search. Here is how Carolina’s HC search looks as of Thursday, via PFR’s HC search tracker:

Eagles RT Lane Johnson Eyeing Divisional Round Return

January 13th, 2023 at 3:57pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Eagles will have the luxury of watching the NFC’s Wild-Card matchups this weekend as the postseason begins, as a result of their success in clinching the conference’s No. 1 seed in Week 18. Their bye week will allow a key member of their offense to continue healing, potentially in time for a return next week.

Right tackle Lane Johnson has progressed during rehab from his adductor injury to the point where he expects to play in Philadelphia’s Divisional Round matchup. That news comes as little surprise given his decision to put off surgery – something which would have left him sidelined until the 2023 campaign – but it is nevertheless a significant development for the Super Bowl contenders.

The 32-year-old suffered the injury in Week 16, and has been pushing to rehab it ever since. Doing so will primarily be a matter of pain management, something which will only truly be tested during full-contact drills next week. Encouragingly, though, Johnson was able to return to the practice field on Friday for the first time since going down. His remarks today suggest he will be able to suit up if everything goes according to plan in the coming days.

“Excited about today being back out there practicing,” he said, via NBC Sports’ Reuben Frank. “Felt good. The goal was to keep testing it and progressing. Made a lot of progress this week and trying to have a regular week next week and see how I feel.”

Johnson was named a first-team All-Pro for the second time in his career today, adding further to his individual accolades and underscoring his importance to the Eagles’ offense. The four-time Pro Bowler confirmed his continued status as one of the league’s top tackles by generating a sterling PFF grade of 89.8 in pass protection, making him an integral part of the Eagles’ highly efficient attack. In his place, the team turned to Jack Driscoll at right tackle, but their preference would obviously be a return from Johnson at anywhere near 100%.

Philadelphia enjoyed the return of quarterback Jalen Hurts last week; the same is true of defenders C.J. Gardner-Johnson and defensive end Robert Quinn after they were activated from IR. Assuming Johnson will be able to play for the postseason, the Eagles could be well-positioned to live up to the potential they showed over the course of a hugely successful regular season.

“The timing of the injury wasn’t great,” Johnson added, “but the only reason I’m coming back is because I think we have a chance to be something special. That’s my reason.”

Saints To Retain HC Dennis Allen

January 13th, 2023 at 12:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

Rumors about a quick Sean Payton New Orleans return emerged late last month, but Mickey Loomis squashed that prospect Friday. The longtime Saints GM said Dennis Allen is not going anywhere.

Allen will return for a second season as the Saints’ HC. While it was trending in this direction, despite the team’s first 10-loss season since 2005, Loomis confirming it adds finality to what had become a murky situation. Allen has been with the Saints for the past eight seasons, returning to New Orleans after a failed stint as a head coach in Oakland.

Although Payton’s potential interest in returning generated understandable attention, ownership is behind Allen — for at least as second season. The Saints have granted permission for Payton to speak with other teams — a Broncos interview is on tap for Tuesday — but Loomis said (via Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football, on Twitter) compensation has not been finalized, citing different levels each of the interested teams are able to send.

Payton, who coached the Saints for 16 seasons, is believed to want to bring personnel staffers with him wherever he goes. As far as coaches, Loomis said (via Underhill) the Saints would probably block contracted staffers from leaving — so long as it is a lateral move, as rises to coordinator positions are unblockable. No GM interview requests have come in for Saints execs yet this offseason, and no New Orleans coordinators are on this year’s coaching carousel.

A report indicated the Saints and Broncos had agreed on a Payton compensation package — without Payton having agreed to terms to become Denver’s HC yet — that includes a first-round pick and then some. It is unclear if that will be the final price. No head coach has been traded since the Chiefs sent the Jets a fourth-round pick for Herm Edwards in 2006. It took just a second-rounder for the Seahawks to acquire Mike Holmgren‘s rights in 1999, though the Jon Gruden (2002), Bill Belichick (2000) and Bill Parcells (1997) trades all involved first-round picks.

As for Allen, he did have the Saints back in relative contention — since the NFC South was historically bad this season — late in the season. The Saints won three of their final four games to finish 7-10. Were it not for a late-game collapse in Tampa, New Orleans would have entered Week 18 with a chance to win the division. The longtime Saints DC-turned-Payton replacement oversaw fifth- and ninth-place defensive rankings (yardage, points), but New Orleans’ offense ranked 22nd in scoring its first post-Payton slate.

Loomis said the team has no plans to “blow things up,” so an Allen-overseen rebuild is not in the cards. The Saints are again in need at quarterback, with Andy Dalton‘s contract expiring and Jameis Winston having been benched. The team has not begun any negotiations with Dalton about a return yet, per Underhill (Twitter links). Dalton, 35, signed a one-year, $3MM deal but ended up usurping Winston early in the season. Dalton started 14 games for the Saints — his most starts since the 2017 season. New Orleans figures to be in the mix for a QB upgrade this offseason.

Bolts’ Mike Williams Sustains Back Fracture

January 13th, 2023 at 11:43am CST by Sam Robinson

Brandon Staley‘s criticized decision to play his starters in a meaningless Week 18 game has produced consequences. The Chargers already ruled out Mike Williams for their wild-card game, despite Staley indicating early this week he expected the sixth-year receiver to play. It does not look like the impact wideout would be available in a second-round contest, should the Chargers defeat the Jaguars.

Further testing revealed Williams sustained a fracture in his back, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The injury is likely to sideline Williams for multiple weeks. Williams will not travel with the Chargers to Jacksonville. After Williams had not progressed as the Bolts expected this week, Pelissero reports (via Twitter) a rescan Friday morning revealed a transverse process fracture. A significant injury is not too surprising here, with Williams needing a cart to transport him to the visitor’s locker room last week.

Williams will not require surgery, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports, adding that he should likely be considered done for the season unless the Chargers make a surprising run to Super Bowl LVII. The X-ray on Williams’ back was negative, with Thiry adding the ensuing MRI was as well. MRI No. 2 ended up revealing the fracture.

This is a brutal blow to a Chargers team that perennially battles major injuries. Playing their starters well into the fourth quarter in Week 18, the Bolts did not beat the struggling Broncos and ended the season 10-7. They still secured the AFC’s No. 5 seed, but given that they were locked into that spot regardless of outcome, Staley received an avalanche of criticism. Friday’s news will mark another key chapter into the Bolts’ checkered recent history regarding injuries.

The Chargers re-signed Williams, 28, this offseason, doing well to lock down the former first-round pick before the receiver market exploded. He is attached to a three-year, $60MM deal, but the Clemson product does have a notable injury history — including back trouble. Williams missed the first five games of his Bolts career with a back injury. He suffered a herniated disk in 2017, keeping him out for months ahead of his rookie season.

While that was obviously a long time ago, Williams also missed four games this season due to a high ankle sprain. He returned to action against the Chiefs in November but aggravated the injury and left that game. Williams missed two games after that aggravation. His latest injury could be flashpoint in Staley’s Chargers tenure. Should the Bolts win Saturday, they will likely — with Lamar Jackson almost certainly out for the Ravens, giving the Bengals a clear path to Round 2 and a likely Buffalo trip — face the Chiefs for a third time. Now, it appears they would do so without Williams.

The Bolts are making their first playoff appearance since 2018 — Anthony Lynn‘s second season — and while Staley will receive credit for helping an injury-plagued team bounce back after a midseason swoon had it at 6-6, his seat has been somewhat warm due to the interest Sean Payton is believed to have in this job. Payton, who currently lives in Los Angeles, identified the Bolts job as a potential target months ago. Those rumors have not exactly quieted, Payton’s potential interest in the Broncos position notwithstanding. If the Chargers lose to the Jaguars after Staley played starters for most of a meaningless Denver matchup, his job should probably not be considered safe.

As for the Chargers’ receiving corps, Josh Palmer will be expected to play a bigger role against the Jags. Palmer and return man DeAndre Carter played frequently during Williams and Keenan Allen‘s extended absences this season. Palmer’s 769 receiving yards trailed only Williams (895) this season. Plenty will be on Allen’s shoulders in these playoffs.

Packers GM Addresses QB Situation

January 13th, 2023 at 11:37am CST by Sam Robinson

Delivering an earlier-than-usual autopsy of the Packers’ season, Brian Gutekunst addressed what has already become a third straight offseason of Aaron Rodgers-driven uncertainty.

The sixth-year Packers GM said Jordan Love is “definitely” ready to play, indicating (via The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman, on Twitter) the three-year backup is “chomping at the bit” to become the team’s starter. When asked which quarterback would give the Packers the best chance to win next season, Gutekunst deferred to Rodgers’ four MVP honors.

[RELATED: Matt LaFleur Wants Rodgers Back In 2023]

Once the object of Rodgers ire, Gutekunst earned his way back into the future Hall of Famer’s good graces to close out a turbulent 2021. Rodgers ended up signing a three-year, $150.8MM extension in March 2022. That record-setting contract does give the Packers some flexibility, allowing a $58MM bonus to be paid at any point in 2023. That opens the door for a trade, and Rodgers said last week his Green Bay future may not be entirely up to him. Rodgers, 39, looks to also be considering retirement.

Gutekunst did not entertain the prospect of a Rodgers trade when asked about it Friday and said he can see a scenario in which Rodgers and Love are on the roster together for a fourth season, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein tweets. The Packers have received criticism for using a first-round pick on Love and sitting him for three seasons, effectively squandering the rookie-contract resource that has been so valuable to teams who have taken first-round QBs since the 2011 CBA reshaped rookie deals. The Packers must decide on Love’s fully guaranteed fifth-year option in May.

Love is on Green Bay’s payroll at $3.94MM for 2023; Rodgers would check in with a $31.62MM cap number. Unless the Packers trade Rodgers or he retires, the team could conceivably run back a Rodgers-Love depth chart for a fourth straight year. Given how far the team has pushed the Love apprenticeship, it would make sense to — NFL norms be damned — extend that into 2023. But the Packers’ QB depth chart is not yet certain. Gutekunst said (via Silverstein, on Twitter) he wants both players back and that Rodgers will take his time and regularly communicate with the team.

Rodgers fell off the MVP perch this season, with the Packers’ controversial strategy at wide receiver impacting the superstar QB’s performance. Gutekunst said as much Friday, indicating (via Silverstein) the Davante Adams trade played a role in Rodgers’ numbers dipping in 2022. Thumb and rib injuries plagued Rodgers this season as well, leading to Love making an intriguing cameo in Philadelphia. The Packers staying in the NFC wild-card race kept Love on the bench. QBR was particularly harsh on Rodgers, dropping him from first (in 2021) to 26th. Trade interest would undoubtedly come, were the Packers to consider it this time around. They resisted Broncos interest in 2021, and Rodgers decided to stay in Green Bay via the extension last year.

Regardless of Rodgers’ status, Gutekunst said restructures are a near-certainty. Early projections have the Packers at $13MM over the 2023 cap, though the 2023 salary ceiling has not yet been finalized. Gutekunst expects both Aaron Jones and David Bakhtiari to return next season as well (Twitter links via Schenidman and ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky).

Jones’ cap number balloons to $5.9MM to $20MM next season; a restructure would knock that down while adding to future cap figures. Bakhtiari’s cap figure will spike from $13.4MM to $29.1MM. While the All-Pro left tackle returned to action this season, the knee trouble that shelved him in 2021 limited him to 11 games this season. Bakhtiari, who has missed 30 games since the 2020 season (counting playoff tilts), said recently he does not intend to retire.

Chargers Rule Out Mike Williams Vs. Jaguars

January 13th, 2023 at 11:10am CST by Ely Allen

JANUARY 13: Despite Staley’s expectation Williams would return against the Jaguars, the injury he sustained in Week 18’s meaningless (for seeding purposes) game will cost the Chargers. Staley said Williams could play without practicing this week, but the Bolts HC ruled out the big-play wideout for Saturday night’s game. Williams will remain in Los Angeles to undergo treatment, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Staley drew steady criticism for leaving his starters in the regular-season finale well into the fourth quarter. That decision leading to the team losing Williams for the playoff opener will increase the scrutiny on the second-year HC.

JANUARY 9: The Chargers got a scare on Sunday when leading wide receiver Mike Williams needed to be carted to the locker room in a Week 18 loss to the Broncos that held no playoff implications.

Despite the serious look of the back injury that ailed him, Williams is expected to play this Saturday night in Jacksonville, according to ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry.

Williams, who leads all Chargers receivers with 895 receiving yards, suffered a back injury Sunday that required him to be assisted off the field by trainers and, eventually, to be carted off to the locker room. The injury appeared to affect Williams so much that he required help to get back to the team bus from the locker room. Daniel Popper of The Athletic reported that Williams “could not walk on his own.”

Los Angeles head coach Brandon Staley told reporters that Williams underwent an MRI exam that revealed no fracture or muscle injury. Williams only suffered a contusion, albeit, it appears, a painful one. Regardless, Staley expects that Williams will return to practice this week and should be available against the Jaguars this weekend.

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